Thinking Skins

The thing that I haven't seen mentioned in this thread is that their coach has been calling plays the past two weeks on defense and that's seen a change in their defense. So we probably couldn't prepare for them like we wanted to or scout them like before because they're not calling the same plays as before. They're blitzing a lot more than before and were trying to stay in our WRs and giving us the TE and RBs and daring us to beat them that way. So for the most part we took it until they have us matchups we liked and we took them, the DPI that wasn't called, the drop by Brown, the deep ball to Gibson, the deep ball to Samuel, the deep ball to Terry (after the missed DPI)

I've seen the man stuff reported. I will look for the numbers. Maybe it's different because I remember JDR saying people don't know what they're seeing cause it's meant to confuse.

I think they wanted turnovers which zone wasn't getting. So they abandoned it. And we're paying for it

Exactly. That's what I've been arguing on Twitter. Some want to say it was prevent and Kirk numbers

So. What I was saying is that Howell in late game situations is being misused. It's very similar to what Charles Leno said. He's taken a lot of sacks in these games when teams can just tee off on him like the bills and bears. Both those games I was shocked when I saw the score late went to take a piss came back and saw that Howell had been sacked like 2 or 3 more times. The eagles game is different because we had a chance to win it but we don't need to be chasing 3 points in a 37-0 game like that.

Maybe. But until the moment comes, I'm calling it his decision

That's true and I don't want to get into Kirk territory with him where everything is against prevent defense. It is nice to know that the moment is not too big for him and he can keep us competitive. But I would like to see our team play a whole game and either have the lead the whole game or at least go blow for blow with another team.

I don't know if we've talked this, it's been so long but I'm a players above coaches person. Especially at QB. So when you have a potentially special QB you do everything to keep them and try to get a good up and coming OC to pair with them as the coach. Sam still needs to prove he belongs in that sphere I stated, but if he does do this year, I think keeping him becomes a much higher priority than getting a coach with a higher name (say a Jim Harbaugh) who may want to trade him and bring in a vet.

But the benefit is that we're seeing the growth right now. He's putting this team on his back and driving us down the field game after game. He's looking like the second best QB in that draft behind Purdy. We're developing him Any QB we draft, we have to do that with, and possibly compete with Howell. And they may not be good (see Jones, see z Fields initially, see Ridder, see Willis, etc). We know Howell is good. That should be enough to say let's go and just build a team around him.

So if Harris makes a decision to get rid of Sam, then I'm putting him like Dan with Brad. We have finally solved the we QB problem let's not go backwards simply because he's not the guy you fell in love with. What I'd like to find is a new coach (maybe EB but let's lot limit it) who likes Howell similar to other teams with QBs in place and they6 to build around him. But honestly I'd say nothing else is sacred.

Yeah, I think I'm in favor of benching Gates.

The problem is that the HC and DC changed their philosophy. They want turnovers. They were preaching that all off-season. They drafted Forbes over Gonzalez for this reason. So what happened? We're playing more man. We're going after double moves. And getting beat for these deep routes, exposing our safeties. Previous years we were all about fundamentals and third down percentage and playing zones and stopping the big plays. We'd have problems like WJ3 or Collins coming into the defense and having problems learning it. But they were playing as a unit. Now they're chasing stats. That's the problem. Ron and JDR has them chasing the big plays. He needs to get them back to fundamentals. The turnovers will come and if he doesn't it's going to ruin the season and maybe their careers (it's already ruined his)

Robinson doesn't fit the style of offense that we have. We need a faster back that can create space for himself. A Skip Hicks type guy. Or Kapri Bibbs. We've got two power guys and a big WR. The ones with vision have no speed and the one with speed has no vision. I'd be searching the waiver wire for a scat back.

This is one podcast I skipped. Well all of Friday and the weekend. I needed to exhale. But I agree with this. I'd put probably zero sacks on Howell. Some were coverage, some were line, some were scrambles where he got caught. Turning to Howell though, I thought he played an immaculate game and did everything he could to keep us in it. And if Slye makes that FG or Fuller makes that pic 6 we're talking another game. But Howell played great. I don't think those are garbage yards because he brought us back into the game. 30-20 with a chance to make it 30-23 in the 4th is still winnable. He had that one bad decision on the interception, but I thought he did great otherwise and I'm still calling him franchise guy. I was at church Sunday giving pep talks talking about how this is just one loss but we've found our guy. I mean this is 4 games now that he's brought us back from deficits to win our almost win games. He's not John Elway but it's fun knowing it's never over.

Basically when we have leads Howell doesn't take late sacks. When we're trailing, they tee off and he takes extra shots. It doesn't matter if it's Micah Parsons or UDFA Joe Schmoe, our OL isn't good enough to win consistently in the pass. One change I'd make is starting the rookie at center. I think he's an upgrade.

Made 22 pancakes last night and froze them

Yeah, I was talking to wife today about making a batch for the week and freezing it, to help her for the week. She said I may be overdoing or but that it would be helpful.

So this was my first time in my life but I'm a dad with two boys who like pancakes so I decided it was time I learned to cook pancakes. Now, they were instant. So I just added water and stirred then poured into a pan and flipped. But they turned out good.

This is where I will cite my dscussion with Craig Hoffman because he was saying to fire RR for his draft fails in the first round and I was saying RR may have found a STEAL at the most important position IN ALL OF SPORTS IN THE FIFTH ROUND. He was trying to debate me on the "value" of a first and second rounder over lower round picks but I was telling him that there is nothing more valuable than a QB and nothing cheaper than a low round pick so this is a win win scenario. And, the Galdi / Sheehan argument goes that this league is not about defense any more its all about having a good to great QB. the above average defenses can hold you above water for a while but they will crumble like the rest without a QB. So what RR is doing right now is getting us out of that "at best" middle of the pack and into that potential top tier of the league (regardless of who the coach is). True, we could have spent picks better on OG/OT and other picks, but I still wonder if Ron would use them similar to how Ron is using our S and our rookies this year and how he used our rookies last year and the year before. Basically it takes a stroke of luck (bad luck for somebody else) and really good play by the rookie to get them on the field. Just look at whats going on with our OG. We could shuffle the line and put Cosbi at RT and the rookie at OG and have Wiley on the bench and have a younger potentially better line, but we're not because he hasn't "earned it".

I hear that, but IMO, they can't have that close of a relationship where Howell's calling Brissett up after a game like Buffalo. But then again, how much closer can it get outside of a locker room with a former QB like Campbell or Smith though so maybe you're right. Maybe though he just keeps it all inside and just doesn't really open up to anybody and just balls out.

I'm not mad about this. I was thinkins about this a lttle the other day when I posted the stats about the QBs with 3 ints and 8 sacks and saw some notable names (Warren Moon, Randall Cunningham, Troy Aikman, Sam Darnold, etc) and seeing that you say thats a nice club to belong to. But then you say that the set of QBs in the NFL is a nice set to belong to. So Even though Daniel Jones doesn't quite belong to this exact club right now, the game he had on Monday night just about gets him entry (if we say 3 turnovers instead of 3 ints). Plus there's this whole rivalry thing about Jones going to Duke and Howell going to NC which I'm sure gets them going.

I wonder who Sam has around as mentors. I figure college coaches and his dad, but old QBs? Old Redskins QBs? Other teams QBs? Other players? Failed QBs? I used to wonder about this as I was building my team of mentors. I'd think about who Jason Campbell or Donovan McNabb or Steve Young would call after a bad game. Do they just go to their teammates or locker room? Do they just go home to the family? And how do they make sure that it's not a stone rolling down a hill gaining momentum?